As our completion increases in our economy, high-quality education for American students has become critical for our nation’s future. In order to score a job within this job market you must have a degree, now everyone has a degree. Obtaining a masters degree will show that you are even more qualified for the job and you have an upper hand against everyone that has just a bachelor’s degree. Although are teachers obtaining a masters degree just so that they can score a job or so that they can broaden their knowledge? Mrs. Wright believes that many teachers are only obtaining these degrees to help them land a job. Mrs. Wright feels that school districts should hire teachers with bachelor’s degrees then pay for them to further obtain their masters degrees while working for the district. This will keep the teachers up to date with their degree, and away from just going to school in order to thicken their resume.
In the end the teacher will have a higher degree. If a teacher decides to go to further schooling so that they can thicken their resume let them be. It is a tough job market at the moment and the thicker your resume is the most of a chance there is you will score a job. They are still gaining knowledge, it is not like they are going to school and wasting their time. Having school district pay for their teachers to get a higher degree is phenomenal, although not economically realistic. Getting a higher degree is not burdening them, only helping them. Rhode Island teachers should be striving to obtain the highest degree they can possibly get.
Kent McGuire, the dean of the Temple University College of Education and a member of the board of the “New Teacher Project,” voices his opinion on this new spike in teachers enrolling in getting higher degrees. The “New Teacher Project” is an organization committed to ensuring that poor and minority students are able to have the highest qualified teachers possible. School districts do typically prefer teachers with advanced degrees; this ensures that the teacher has taken the extra mile to get the best education they could get themselves. Mr. McGuire looks carefully at the institutions from which teachers are getting their degrees from when hiring, because not all degrees are created equal. Mr. McGuire states “We prefer individuals who have taken their degrees from research institutions on the premise that advances in knowledge about how children grow and learn and the pedagogical implications of these insights are more likely to be reflected in the degree requirements” (McGuire). Teachers should be getting their degrees from institutions that curriculum revolves around connecting with the children, not just the content. Even though a teacher has a higher degree in math doesn’t mean they are more qualified to TEACH math. School districts prefer teachers with a “deeper understanding of teaching, learning, and human development” (McGuire).
With every line that McGuire wrote I slowly got closer and closer to the edge of my seat with excitement. McGuire absolutely hit it on the nail. School districts should not be absorbed in the degree that they are hiring from, but more about the institution they got it from. Having a degree from a community college doesn’t compare to a private college on paper, but if the community college’s curriculum is strong with having the teacher connect with the students more then those teachers are much more qualified. Teachers in Rhode island should have a background check on where they got their degree, and how it was taught to them. If they are taught to have a deeper connection with their students their degree should have much more value then those that went to an institution that just teaches content. Editorial
Gilbert, F. (2010, January 18). Don't judge teachers by their degrees. The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/18/david-cameron-teachers-degrees
David Cameron, UK’s past prim minister has voiced his opinion that teachers effectiveness does not revolve around their degree, but rather how well they are able to connect with the child and motivate them to learn the material. Too many school feel that once you’ve got your degree to be qualified as a teacher all you need is a few days of training and tada you’re a great teacher. Although this isn’t the case. Teachers need to be able to captivate their students in the content being taught to them, just because you have a degree does not necessary mean that you can do this well. David Cameron states: “I have seen too many graduates with first-class degrees die in the classroom: they've been chewed up by the demands of the job, enraged that their pearls of wisdom have been so rudely dismissed in a deluge of chatter and misbehavior” (Gilbert). Children are difficult to handle, even though you may know the content that does not mean you know how to inspire them. I agree completely. Children ARE difficult to handle, I know from a first hand experience. Getting into a university and studying until you get a degree does not mean you have neither the experience nor the social skills to be able to get students to respect and listen to you. Having you’re degree does not mean that you will be able to teach a classroom full of adolescents. Teachers should be evaluated by how well they are able to inspire students rather then their degree. Unfortunately this is near impossible to evaluate in a job interview. A way for Rhode Island school districts to work around this would to have potential teachers teach a classroom for X amount of time before they are hired. If it is obvious that students are picking up on the material then they should be hired.
Wright, M. (2013, August 20). Should Teachers Pursue Master's Degrees?. The Future of Children. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://blogs.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/2009/08/should-teachers-pursue-masters-degrees.html
As our completion increases in our economy, high-quality education for American students has become critical for our nation’s future. In order to score a job within this job market you must have a degree, now everyone has a degree. Obtaining a masters degree will show that you are even more qualified for the job and you have an upper hand against everyone that has just a bachelor’s degree. Although are teachers obtaining a masters degree just so that they can score a job or so that they can broaden their knowledge? Mrs. Wright believes that many teachers are only obtaining these degrees to help them land a job. Mrs. Wright feels that school districts should hire teachers with bachelor’s degrees then pay for them to further obtain their masters degrees while working for the district. This will keep the teachers up to date with their degree, and away from just going to school in order to thicken their resume.
In the end the teacher will have a higher degree. If a teacher decides to go to further schooling so that they can thicken their resume let them be. It is a tough job market at the moment and the thicker your resume is the most of a chance there is you will score a job. They are still gaining knowledge, it is not like they are going to school and wasting their time. Having school district pay for their teachers to get a higher degree is phenomenal, although not economically realistic. Getting a higher degree is not burdening them, only helping them. Rhode Island teachers should be striving to obtain the highest degree they can possibly get.
Magazine
McGuire, K. (2009, August 16). Do Teachers Need Education Degrees?. Room for Debate Do Teachers Need Education Degrees Comments. Retrieved November 22, 2013, from http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/education-degrees-and-teachers-pay/?_r=0
Kent McGuire, the dean of the Temple University College of Education and a member of the board of the “New Teacher Project,” voices his opinion on this new spike in teachers enrolling in getting higher degrees. The “New Teacher Project” is an organization committed to ensuring that poor and minority students are able to have the highest qualified teachers possible. School districts do typically prefer teachers with advanced degrees; this ensures that the teacher has taken the extra mile to get the best education they could get themselves. Mr. McGuire looks carefully at the institutions from which teachers are getting their degrees from when hiring, because not all degrees are created equal. Mr. McGuire states “We prefer individuals who have taken their degrees from research institutions on the premise that advances in knowledge about how children grow and learn and the pedagogical implications of these insights are more likely to be reflected in the degree requirements” (McGuire). Teachers should be getting their degrees from institutions that curriculum revolves around connecting with the children, not just the content. Even though a teacher has a higher degree in math doesn’t mean they are more qualified to TEACH math. School districts prefer teachers with a “deeper understanding of teaching, learning, and human development” (McGuire).
With every line that McGuire wrote I slowly got closer and closer to the edge of my seat with excitement. McGuire absolutely hit it on the nail. School districts should not be absorbed in the degree that they are hiring from, but more about the institution they got it from. Having a degree from a community college doesn’t compare to a private college on paper, but if the community college’s curriculum is strong with having the teacher connect with the students more then those teachers are much more qualified. Teachers in Rhode island should have a background check on where they got their degree, and how it was taught to them. If they are taught to have a deeper connection with their students their degree should have much more value then those that went to an institution that just teaches content.
Editorial
Gilbert, F. (2010, January 18). Don't judge teachers by their degrees. The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/18/david-cameron-teachers-degrees
David Cameron, UK’s past prim minister has voiced his opinion that teachers effectiveness does not revolve around their degree, but rather how well they are able to connect with the child and motivate them to learn the material. Too many school feel that once you’ve got your degree to be qualified as a teacher all you need is a few days of training and tada you’re a great teacher. Although this isn’t the case. Teachers need to be able to captivate their students in the content being taught to them, just because you have a degree does not necessary mean that you can do this well. David Cameron states: “I have seen too many graduates with first-class degrees die in the classroom: they've been chewed up by the demands of the job, enraged that their pearls of wisdom have been so rudely dismissed in a deluge of chatter and misbehavior” (Gilbert). Children are difficult to handle, even though you may know the content that does not mean you know how to inspire them.
I agree completely. Children ARE difficult to handle, I know from a first hand experience. Getting into a university and studying until you get a degree does not mean you have neither the experience nor the social skills to be able to get students to respect and listen to you. Having you’re degree does not mean that you will be able to teach a classroom full of adolescents. Teachers should be evaluated by how well they are able to inspire students rather then their degree. Unfortunately this is near impossible to evaluate in a job interview. A way for Rhode Island school districts to work around this would to have potential teachers teach a classroom for X amount of time before they are hired. If it is obvious that students are picking up on the material then they should be hired.